The Friendship List(24)

“He’s a farmer,” Dagmar said.

“I’m not a farmer.”

“You farm,” his great-aunt reminded him. “You’ve told me.” She looked at Unity. “It’s all very confusing. The man lives in Bellevue, so I genuinely don’t understand how it all works, but he’s very successful.”

He thought about explaining he hadn’t farmed in the way most people thought then decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. Instead he smiled and said, “I sold the farm.”

“What do you do now?” Unity asked.

“Some real estate development. Property management. Business turnarounds.”

“He’s very successful,” Dagmar added helpfully.

“That’s a lot,” Unity said, looking more uncomfortable by the second. She’d yet to take a sip of her drink and her fingers clutched the glass so tightly, he was afraid the crystal would shatter.

Unable to help himself, he took the drink from her and put it on the coffee table. She stared at her empty hand, then at him and flushed.

Thaddeus had been in dozens of relationships—some lasting all of two nights and one ending in marriage. None of them had been especially successful. Regardless, he considered himself fairly experienced when it came to women. Unity showed all the signs of someone completely out of her element. She was scared and uneasy and, if her darting glances toward the door were any indication, wishing she could run for freedom.

Which meant she’d had no idea he was going to be here, meaning the setup had been on both sides. What was up with that? Dagmar rarely got into his business. So why was this time different and why was Unity so apprehensive? If Dagmar had never talked about him, then all she knew was what she saw.

He was clear on how the outside world viewed him. He was tall, fit and good-looking enough to be appealing, but not so pretty that it got in the way. He commanded attention and understood his place in the world. But he wasn’t anyone to fear.

“What do you do, Unity?” he asked, deliberately keeping his voice quiet.

“I, ah, own a handyman business. My customers are local. We do home repairs.”

“She’s wonderful,” Dagmar added. “Everyone adores her. She has several employees, all retired men who know exactly what to do in any given situation.”

Unity managed a smile. “They work part-time for me.”

“Did you grow up in the area?”

She brightened. “I did. I went to school here. I married when I graduated and Stuart joined the army. I went with him after he finished basic training.” She paused. “He, um, died three years ago. I moved back here then.”

The widow part. He’d forgotten about that. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you.”

“Unity is very involved with the Silver Pines community,” Dagmar said.

Unity winced. Thaddeus had no idea why.

“A lot of the activities are open to the public,” she said. “I’ve taken a few classes. Until recently I was on the pickleball league.” She met his gaze. “Do you play?”

“Pickleball? It’s not my sport.” He and Freddy had a couple of pickup basketball games they liked to join. Pickleball? Was that like badminton with a tennis ball? Ah, no.

Unity reached for her glass. Her hand shook so much, she couldn’t pick it up. She quickly pulled back her arm and tucked it behind her.

Thaddeus had impressed his share of women but he’d never petrified one before. He stood and looked at his great-aunt.

“Could I speak to you for a moment, please?”

Dagmar put down her drink and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

“We’ll be right back,” he told Unity, then led Dagmar down the hall to her bedroom. When he’d shut the door behind them, he exhaled. “This has got to stop. The poor woman is actually trembling with fear.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I had no idea she would be so—” Dagmar waved her hand. “I can’t even describe it.”

“I’m going to go.” He shook his head before she could speak. “Whatever your plans were for this evening, they’re not going to happen. You have a nice dinner with Unity and I’ll see you later.”

“But I wanted to spend time with you.”

“I wanted the same, but it’s not as if you can ask her to leave. I’ll come back soon. I promise.” He kissed her cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

They returned to the living room. Unity looked at him.

“Is everything all right?” she asked.

Thaddeus smiled at her. “It is, however I need to start my drive back to Seattle. It was very nice to meet you, Unity.”

She stood. “I hope I didn’t chase you off.”

“Of course not.”

Her mouth twisted. “It’s just I was surprised and I’m not very good at small talk and you’re a little imposing.”

Her honesty surprised him. “I’m far from imposing.”

“Have you seen yourself?” She flashed him a smile. “But it was nice to meet you. Next time I’ll do better. Oh, wait. I should go so you two can—”

Without thinking, he took her hand in his. As his fingers curled around hers, he felt an unexpected jolt of heat and interest. Because it made all the sense in the world that he would be attracted to a woman who literally quaked in fear around him.